Dream of Peace, To Dare To Stay the Violence, To Do the Work of the Peacemaker.

Hinitz, Blythe F.; Stomfay-Stitz, Aline

This essay focuses on teachers as peacemakers. Peace education is discussed as multifaceted and cross-disciplinary, emphasizing the teaching of peace, nonviolence, conflict resolution, social justice, economic well-being, political participation, and environmental concern. The report asserts that any curriculum for young children should stress a peaceful environment to counter the negative, violent images children see on television, in electronic games, and elsewhere. The cycle of generational violence is discussed, as is evidence of violence being passed along by generations. The concept of Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP) is discussed as a vital part of the peace education curriculum. Strategies suggested for creating a "peaceable" classroom include: (1) conducting class meetings; (2) featuring a child as "student of the week"; (3) developing a sense of unity; (4) implementing cooperative learning; (5) infusing the theory of multiple intelligences into curriculum; (6) discussing lives of men and women who served peacemaking roles; (7) emphasizing multicultural perspectives; and (8) using children's literature to strengthen communication skills and show nonviolent methods of conflict resolution. Contains 33 references, a 71-item resource directory (including curriculum guides, classroom strategies, units, NK-grade 3 for peace education, conflict resolution, violence prevention, and parenting), suggestions for the integration of peace education and conflict resolution in the curriculum, classroom activities that help children resolve their conflict in a multicultural classroom, and a list of resources for integration of peace education. (BGC)